Are classroom internet use and academic performance higher after government broadband subsidies to primary schools?

This paper combines data from a government programme providing broadband access to primary schools in Ireland with survey microdata on schools’, teachers’ and pupils use of the internet to examine the links between public subsidies, classroom use of the internet and educational performance. Provision of broadband service under a government scheme was associated with more than a doubling of teachers’ use of the internet in class after about a two year lag. Better computing facilities in schools were also associated with higher internet use, but advertised download speed was not statistically significant. A second set of models show that use of the internet in class was associated with significantly higher average mathematics scores on standardised tests. There was also a less robust positive association with reading scores. A set of confounding factors is included, with results broadly in line with previous literature

The Hylands of Clonmoran: An Enterprising Catholic Family in County Kilkenny, 1816-1917

This is the story of a County Kilkenny family over one hundred and one years (1816- 1917) with a particular emphasis on their enterprising activities. The study is based largely on family papers that have fortuitously survived. The Hyland family exemplifies a specific stratum within Catholic Ireland both socially and in terms of geographic location. The Hylands were members of a most influential class that may be described generically as the Catholic middle class. Through this case study a deeper historical insight into a grouping that has received little attention from historians is provided. This group, exemplified by the Hylands, had a vital, i f not overt, ftinction in the socio-economic, cultural and political landscape in what was a stratified and complex society. Connected to the masses in religious faith and nationalism; connected to the classes in privilege, their wealth was meagre in comparison with the affluent ascendency - their fortune, unimaginable to most of their brethren. What further distinguished this family from much of Catholic society and most of the ascendency was their engagement with trade; they possessed a mercantilist mentality. This entrepreneurial spirit was demonstrated in the various ventures they undertook and in their ability to diversify and engage at different levels with all sections of the community. Their business activities included the operation of a slate quarry, distillery and com mill and the management of a local theatre. With both business and farming interests, both landlords and tenants, the Hylands involved themselves in many aspects of life in their locality and beyond

Trade, Energy, and Carbon Dioxide: An Analysis for the Two Economies of Ireland. ESRI WP420. January 2012

In this paper we use a subsystem input-output decomposition analysis to examine the drivers of greenhouse gas emissions in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. We use a bi-regional input-output analysis to look at how greenhouse gases in one region can be emitted as a result of demand in an exporting region. Looking at emissions generated throughout the island of Ireland, we find that emissions driven by demand in Northern Ireland are larger than those it generates, and vice-versa for the Republic of Ireland. We then use the input-output tables to simulate the effect of imposing a €15/tonne carbon tax in the Republic of Ireland. We find that this causes a decrease in final demand in the Republic of Ireland, and a decrease in output in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland; the decrease is greater in the Republic as the domestically produced share of inputs is much larger than the imported share in all sectors

The Potential for Segmentation of the Retail Market for Electricity in Ireland. ESRI WP433. April 2012

We estimate the gross margin that is earned from the supply of electricity to households in Ireland. Using half hourly electricity demand data, the system marginal price (also called the wholesale price) and the retail price of electricity, we analyse how the gross margin varies across customers with different characteristics. The wholesale price varies throughout the day, thus, the time at which electricity is used affects the gross margin. The main factor in determining gross margin, however, is demand. The highest gross margins are earned from supplying customers that have the following characteristics: being aged between 46 and 55, having a household income of at least €75,000 per annum, being self–employed, having a third level education, having a professional or managerial occupation, living in a household with 7 or more people, living in a detached house, having at least 5 bedrooms or being a mortgage holder. An OLS regression shows that gross margin is partly explained by the energy conservation measures which are present in a household, the number of household members, the number of bedrooms, income, age, occupation and accommodation type

CISG ADVISORY COUNCIL OPINION NO. 3 [1] : Parol Evidence Rule, Plain Meaning Rule, Contractual Merger Clause and the CISG [2]

CISG ADVISORY COUNCIL OPINION NO. 3 [1]: Parol Evidence Rule, Plain Meaning Rule, Contractual Merger Clause and the CISG [2

Are classroom internet use and academic performance higher after government broadband subsidies to primary schools? ESRI Research Bulletin 2015/2/6

The connection of schools and other educational institutions to broadband networks continues to be high on the agendas of politicians and policymakers around the world. Successive Irish governments have invested in programmes to improve internet access for schools at both primary and second level. Policy statements have stressed the positive role broadband would play in education, arguing that it would “significantly enhance the potential of ICT in teaching and learning” and would “pay dividends in years to come” (DCMNR, 2004)